Heretofore there have been many different types of torque converters that have been proposed and many of these have been produced and used commercially. Many of these torque converters as have been made heretofore have been relatively complex in design, or they have been costly to produce or costly to service and maintain in operation.
Gear pumps and clutches are well known but I propose to provide a gear pump-clutch-torque converter closed chamber unit wherein the primary function of the pressure fluid is to transfer power from an input shaft to an output shaft. The secondary purpose of the fluid is to move pairs of idler gears along the shafts so that they do either of three things: move the gears into contact with the input gears; move the gears into contact with the output gears; or, allow the gears to be out of contact with both input and output gears so that the idler gears may spin free. The third purpose of the fluid is to provide pressure that will hold the idler gears against either the input or output gears with sufficient force that the idler gears will rotate with the gears they are pressed against.
The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved torque converter including a clutch and gear-change means therein and wherein multi-speed output is readily obtained.
Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively compact, torque converter involving only relatively few parts therein and wherein the torque converter is basically a selective multiple gear pump-clutch means.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid transfer power system wherein the fluid is used to transfer power from the input shaft to the output shaft, to move idler gears along their positioning shafts and control the power transmitting actions thereof, and to use the pressure fluid for holding the idler gears in selected positions as clutch members.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a torque converter primarily involving at least three pairs of gears in a fluid power system for providing a multi-speed torque conversion action for transfer of power from an input to an output shaft.
Other objects of the invention relate to the use of multiple gear input means and multiple gear output means mounted on respective input and output shafts of a torque converter; to use hydraulic fluid and a gearshift lever for controlling pressure liquid seepage in the system for controlling clutching pressures on the idler gears for controlled power transmission action in the torque converter; to combine a driven gear pump with an improved torque converter and transmit such pump output to the torque converter to drive the same; to provide multiple sets of gears in a closed torque converter chamber whereby substantially all fluid transferred by a driven pair of gears must return by the remaining gears providing drive for an output shaft coupled thereto; to use pressure fluid in the torque converter for moving idler gears along their mounting shafts so that such idlers can be moved to be a portion of the input gear means, to be in a neutral position, or to move the gears into contact and rotation with the output gears for controlling speed ratio changes in the torque converter; and to provide special control valves in a fluid flow circuit connected a gear pump fluid pressure supply portion of the torque converter assembly to a clutch and gear-change means in the output portion of the torque converter assembly for controlling power transmission action .